Sew You Garden

Winter is almost over!

2011-04-05T00:55:00.000-07:00

We've had a bunch of big storms and more snow days off from school than we have ever had in recent years. It was one heck of a winter. No sign of it inside though (unless you look at the boots and gloves) because we were never without the pellot stove. The pellets Dick bought this year were called Okanagan - burned better with less ash than others he has tried.

Outside it was a different story.

My deck is under here somewhere -- really it is.

Fall Visits

2010-11-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

Amber is my cousin's daughter. She has visited Maine twice this fall with her children, Alexander and Sophia. They are adorable kids and my mother loves to have them visit. The funny part of this last visit was how much the kids liked Dick. He was a kid magnet!

Uncle Donald came with Amber on the last visit also. Mom was very happy to see her brother.

Amber has a big event coming up in December - in fact it's a big event for the whole family!

Birds and Other Critters

2010-11-09T17:59:00.001-08:00

Last March, Rocky (or Rocketta) visited. Repeatedly. Night after night. We knew birds could not eat as much as was disappearing - at night. A friend loaned us his wildlife camera. This is what we found out - said racoon visited often. Three times a night. Breakfast, lunch and dinner racoon style. We removed the seed at night. A couple months later a huge racoon became road kill.

In June, this lady was hit around 3 am and for the rest of the night, the police and the local critter remover were busy. This was the same night the local teen graduation-party-in-the-pit occurred. The truck on the back of the flatbead going by in the background has one of the trucks that was hauled off when the police raided the teen's "campsight." They hauled the vehicles off at $200.00 per - if the kid handed over the keys. $200.00 more if they didn't.

We saw all kinds of color this summer. Bluebirds, finches of all kinds.

Another UMO Graduation

2010-11-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

University of Maine has to hold graduation ceremonies twice on graduation day because there are so many earning degrees. This was the afternoon ceremony.
The governor was the guest speaker.

It was a Big event last May - Keely graduated from UMO. We're very proud of her! Lots of the family and her friends attended graduation and after that we gathered for pizza. It was a fun day.

More from the Village

2009-11-01T12:43:00.001-08:00

This is where OSB used to be produced, over a hundred jobs lost in the area when it closed. A similar plant in Canada near her is doing well. So much for NAFTA.

This is called the scale house, where wood on the trucks is weighed.

Wood from the trucks is stacked outside the pulp facility.

This is part of the pulp-making facility.

Woodland Public Library, which needs a new roof.

This is the old shopping center and bank. A local doctor now has his offce in the former bank, which is on the right end.

This is the center of a small park on Main Street, not far from the old shopping center. It has a few small flower beds and a play area for children.

The "Courts", located next to the elementary school, is a recreation area for teens. The surfaces aren't in great shape to play basketball or tennis, but people try anyway. You just never know which way the ball will go once it comes back off the surfacce.

Like any New England town, there are several churches. This is a church on Broadway, which also houses the local food pantry.

On the left is the entrance to the Catholic Church.

On a more personal note, this is the new metal roof on my parents' house.

The Little Village of Woodland

2009-10-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

This is where I live. Let's go north into "town."

Here it is - Woodland, Washington County, now called Baileyville.

Some familiar scenes for those of us who live here- or used to live here. This is the headquarters for whichever company operates the pulp facility.

This is where many get or keep their money- the local credit union.

Many a baseball/softball game has occurred at the Spednic Club Field.

And many an occasion has been held here- like my parent's 45th anniversary celebration. It's the only game in town for big events if you want to include alcohol. It's a private club, but not too elite!

The top street of the Woodland Heights. When I was a kid these home were built. All are of a similar pattern like my parents' home - ranch. Must have made an impression on me. I have a ranch too.

The Woodland Baptist Church is across the street.

My own class moved into this building when I was in fifth grade. Thousands of kids have passed through this elementary school. Too bad this area has no jobs and they have all moved away.

Soccer season has just ended and the only players on the Spednic Club field are the Canadian Geese.

Round the curve on Washington Street - familiar territory to Woodlandites.

Split level in Woodland used to be a gathering place for family visits.

Just down a street and around the corner, across the street. A family with little kids lives in this home on the left. There are not too many kids in the heighborhood.

The end of Summit Street.

The Episcopal Church in town, which hasn't been used in years. My daughter was baptised here.

A gate to the pulp facility near what was Jason's Pizza, which closed last May.

The town office and the health facility on Broadway.

Main Street looking north.

Main Street looking south. My grandmother used to own "the Block", which was an apartment/boarding house.

The Dragon Dome, home of endless basketball games.

Maine entrance of Woodland Jr/Sr High School. Last year the girls' basketball team won the state title . Last year the boys' basketball team won the state title. Last year the girls won the state softball title. They made us proud and we do have an academic program, by the way!

Across the street .......

are the soccer and baseball fields.

Just pass the Y on the right, here's Main Street.

Make a choice- right, Main Street or left, toward Princeton.

Here we have all former: restaurant, child care business, laundromat, etc...... For Sale

Our shopping mall - with two spaces available for business.

He's Getting Better! Will he Cook Again?

2009-09-22T02:35:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been doing a little more cooking. Chicken pot pie, blueberry/raspberry pie, bruschetta and some more things. Dick has been battling a gall bladder and he won the war, but it's been painful. So, we ate out a bit too. This is the first time I tried making my own bruschetta and it was nice. It was more flavorful the second day as the jalapeno had time with the cilantro (both from my garden) to make their presence known. With a little mozzarella on bagel chips, it was a great snack.

Keely's Friend was Married

2009-09-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

Keely's all-time best friend was married on August 28, so Keely and Dale were home that weekend. They were very busy with all the wedding business. I was very happy that her friend Tiffany asked her to be part of it, even though the girls have been doing different things for four years. They were best buds in junior and senior high school, but always visited when they could. Tiffany and her family made the arrangements for the wedding and reception in a short time and they did a great job getting it all done. They missed none of the little details for a nice ceremony and did all the traditional stuff at the reception. She had really wanted to have it outside and as it happened, the day could not have been nicer.Tiffany was beautiful, Warren (the groom) was handsome and it was special with all of their families there. Her flowers, cake and decorations were perfect and it was a fun time. A very nice day to remember.

This is Keely's last year at Orono. She has an internship this semester managing the horse barn, which is a big senior project. Imagine- my baby graduating from UMO.

Six Week Shutdown and Drain Troubles

2009-07-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

This town is supported by a pulp mill. On May 5 it closed, and the general public did not know how long it would be idle. The governor came and the news covered the event. When a mill shuts down, it affects wood cutters, truckers, filling stations and restaurants. This was a major source of revenue for the whole of the county. One of our restaurants closed and the owners moved their operation to a town near Bangor. Some workers left and went to work elsewhere, if they could find a job. Most collected unemployment and hoped for the best. When I took this picture, I thought it would be fall before smoke came out of the stack again. Some people in town had hard feelings towards those who remained employed and that made others uncomfortable in some situations I am sure. Water bills had to double because the fixed costs of the water utility have to be paid by users that are left. Workers didn't know what they would do about insurance if it closed for good. This situation lasted six weeks. It reopened last week, to everyone's surprise. Turns out that the pulp customers were not happy with South American Eucalyptus pulp. It affected the quality of their finished product. That's good news for the United States, Maine and this mill in particular. Workers were happy to go back to work and having it running is very good news for the town.
Last month our house had sewer troubles. The original drain from the house to the road was clogged with dirt from a section that broke at a T-connection. We hired a backhoe and a plumber, but Dick was the one in the hole. I didn't have to watch the worst of it because I was at school, but when I came home the hole was so deep I had to get close to the edge to see him. The water line was broken by the backhoe while digging for the sewer line, so water had to be pumped out, both lines fixed and the job was supposed to be done. It wasn't pretty. The line was covered with some new gravel on top, but Dick didn't want to cover it completely until it settled. It was pretty soupy from all the water, so we waited. Then it rained. A few days later Dick decided he wanted to re-dig the line, put lots of gravel around it for security and not worry about it. Good thing he decided this, because it had sunk and twisted. He repaired it again and carefully put the gravel in the way it should be done. Was our problem over? NO. The next week it plugged again on the other side of the driveway, where the line connects to another and runs to the main sewer drain. It was blocked by rocks that had washed in when the pipe broke before. So I left for work and Dick handled it again. Three weeks of that sh_ _ is too much for anybody.

Gardening and Traveling

2009-07-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been busy. I finished the school year, took a small trip, finished a Master Gardener class and took a longer trip to Minnesota. The class and longer trip are worth some attention. The gardening class I have wanted to do for years. It is offered through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension service. It is six days of classes spread out through six weeks and 40 hours of community service gardening. The class was offered in a time slot that my school graciously allowed me some flexible time to complete, so it was the right year for me to get it done. I enjoyed every minute of it. The text is a huge book, but we did not have to do all of it, since the class focused this session on vegetables and fruits, which I need to have more knowledge of anyway. All of the text is valuable information about gardening in this area and the part the class didn't cover is about lawns and flowers. I have years of gardening behind me, but much of it has to do with ornamentals, so I can skim through the parts of the book the class didn't cover. From this class, now I have a network of people to work with and resources to answer questions.Here we are planting a small garden in front the office. Another thing most of the members of the class signed on to do is Plant a Row for the Hungry. This program for gardeners provides for their extra produce to be donated to the local food pantries. That might be a lost cause this year with all the rain, many gardens are flooded. The block of wood on the post is drilled with several holes for bees. That was something new for me. This garden is being tended by other members of the class. My project for the volunteer part is in Calais and Woodland. I'll work at the park and at the public library.
We have had so much rain the ditch in front of our house overflowed. It came down so fast the rain flowed over the sidewalk. This happened in two spots, since we have more than two driveway openings. Dick will talk to the employees at the state garage next week since they will be the ones who have to unclog the ditch. A couple weeks ago I went to visit a niece who is a new mom. She has a sweet little boy! My sister and I went to visit her in Minnesota. We had the most beautiful weather for the visit, so we took lots of walks, usually with her Boston Terrier. She likes to play ball, but we forgot it, so had to improvise. We attended an outdoor concert and two outdoor picnics, with no bugs! That light in the background is the sun, for all who have forgotten what it looks like. I was privileged to hold the precious bundle! It's amazing to think our own were once that small. Another terrific part of the trip was meeting this great kid dribbling the soccer ball. He is smart, fun and very special. He is pretty good at soccer too. I hope I see him again at family gatherings.

More Shade Stuff and Happy Birthday Dad

2009-05-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Dick helped me expand a shade garden in the front yard last weekend. I planted more hosta, astilbe, and lily-of-the-valley. I don't know if everything will come up because I bought cheap stuff at Wallyworld. When we went to spread the mulch Dick brought over a huge chunk of it still frozen in the tractor. I just had to wait for the chunk (below) to melt on the weed cover. Shows that stuff really holds the water and temperature. Now I wait to see what happens.

It was my Dad's 83rd birthday last Friday and he wanted to go out to dinner, so Mom, Dad, Dick and I all celebrated his birthday. It was a nice evening and a very good meal. Dick reminded him that his and Mom's birthday present came early this year. He and Mom attended a Wayne Newton concert in March, near Mom's birthday. Dad talked about that for two weeks and it broke the end-of-winter boredom. Most of his kids called within a day or so of his birthday, so he was happy.In the last couple of weeks, he has been recognized for his many years on the Baileyville School Committee, and was given a plaque. Then last week he was a guest at the St. Croix Regional Technical Center recognition dinner. The directors there also gave him a plaque, a hat and a huge cake in appreciation of his support of vocational-technical education as a member of the regional committee, which was through his membership on the school board. The automotive, truck driving, welding and building trades at that school never had a better friend, and all the programs (including the others like CNA, day care, food service and more) all have certification tests at the end of the year, so these kids go right to jobs after school. Keely has a friend working her way through college on the money she earns as a CNA. It's a good program for this area.

Long Awaited Day of Graduation

2009-05-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Dale's graduation day from University of Maine. His dad arrived the day before, so Keely and Dale showed him around the campus and went to the bookstore, so he could buy some UMO items for his family near Detroit. Dale's Mom, his sister and grandparents, and my Mom and Dad all had seats near Dale at commencement. The Browns, Greenes and Gaytons were mostly to the left of the back of the stage and it was a pretty good spot to watch him come up to get the BIG DIPLOMA!

We were all ready to go celebrate after and Dale picked the buffet at the Hollywood Slots Casino. The staff gave us a separate room, so we felt free to take our time and have fun.

Everyone made several trips to the buffet, then we watched Dale open his cards. I enjoyed it and I hope Dale's family did too.
Dale has worked long and hard to get to this point. Now he's beginning a whole new challenge in Portsmouth Navel Shipyard. He had to be at work at seven this morning and his first week will be mostly training, so he hasn't met the people he will be working with yet. Good Luck Dale!

Seeds are Sprouting

2009-04-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

We started seeds a couple weeks ago and tomatoes, peppers, alyssum and zinnias are up. Delphinium is due up any day. I don't know how well this will work, starting them in the house this early. We usually wait until the little outside greenhouse is up and start them out there, but it has been so cold we want to get a jump on the situation. Hopefully we will get better at this year by year. We never did get our horse manure, although we could go get some still. As long as it is the really old stuff it should be OK.

Today was the best day this spring. USO -Unidentified Shining Object in the sky. Temperature in the 50s this afternoon. I like it! Dick was ready to barbecue when I got home. He made a new marinade that is better than his last. I don't know if he would be willing to spill the secret or not, but he might if he were pressed a little.

I have items that need to get in the mail for a little girl that will be pleased I hope. I just want to show that I have been using my time wisely and not watching TV all winter, vegging out. There were other items a few entries back to add to this batch.

I did veg this week however. I had made an appointment with my doctor for updating prescriptions and by the time the day of the appointment arrived I had spring allergies in full bloom mode. I found out I had a sinus infection that had gone into my ear. The day I had felt the worst was Easter, and Mom and Dad were here for dinner. Dick had cooked dinner so all I had to do was visit, so it was still a nice day. Mom and Dad both got caught up on Vanessa's and Meridith's blogs.

More from the Home Front

2009-04-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

Snow is disappearing. There are snow banks remaining where piles were located from plows, but the next couple of days of rain may take care of those too. Green grass is showing next to foundations and robins have arrived. Yeah! You know what this means. Yes, it's time to start the seeds. Dick put in some pepper and tomato seeds. I have a few flower seeds to start in another week or so. I may start cucumbers and squash, but I will wait and see how these do first.

Dale had a birthday a month ago and he and Keely decided to come home. I took advantage of the event to make a "scratch cake" and we all liked it. We didn't have a single regret. It was an adaptation of a Black Forest Cake, made with raspberry instead of cherry.

After that I wanted to try a couple new recipes. One was Banana Bread Pudding. It was good, with rum raisins and whipped cream. I also made a new coffee cake recipe. Dick and I gave away most of these because we thought we may have a few regrets. it is too much stuff for us to eat. We have been eating more salads and vegetables. We have more chicken and less beef. Healthy enough to want to break the rules once in a while.
Moll still is a little smelly, but we love her anyway!

It Wasn't the Least Bit Polite

2009-03-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Poor little Molly had an encounter with a skunk Tuesday evening. She went out for business near bedtime and came back in short order. I could smell the skunk odor before I opened the door. She was quite upset about it and tried to hide inside the house "to get away from herself". I washed her head and back, but we didn't have any tomato juice or spray that could be used on pets, so we went to bed. The next morning Dick gave her a full bath and he spent the day getting the anti-stink spray and soaking down everything he could.All of you know this is an experience only time will eliminate completely, and we are still washing items days later. I am sorry my little girl has found out that some critters aren't the least bit polite.

Definitely a Snow Day

2009-02-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

I was ready to go back to work today, but the weather had its own way. It started to snow a couple hours before we went to bed last night and it was still snowing this morning. No school. I shoveled a bit of the deck off and Dick finished it with his small snow blower. The birds were desperate today. They came to feed while I was on the deck, about 10 of them so hungry they ignored me standing off to the side on a break from shoveling.

If you compare this photo to one in my last post you can see that my bird bath is no longer visible. Dick thinks about 2 feet of snow fell. It was so high on the deck, he had to remove it in layers.

On a pleasant note, my amaryllis blossomed again. It bloomed shortly after Christmas and then the second stalk grew slowly. It was nice to have it bloom again during my week home. I have been sewing more little items. I also started on slacks for me, so will post some new sewing pics next time.

A Tail of Two Doggies

2009-02-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

Molly met her cousin Cooper recently. It was the usual sniff and wag session for Molly. Cooper is a little shyer, but eventually relaxed. He is a great pooch and I wish he could visit more often. I think it would be good for Molly. Cooper has had other places to go and kitties to meet, so he has been busy traveling. Time for Treats!

Just about any excitement wears out the girl these days, after all she is 89 dog years-old! Meanwhile, this is what we go through to feed the birds around here, if I don't expect them to be right on my deck feeders.

I have been working on a few smallish type sewing projects, but not steady. Dick and I went to Bangor for a couple days, watched the kids from my school in the basketball tournament and visited Keely and Dale. It was a nice break.

Enough Already!

2009-01-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

It's long-john weather! We have been in a deep freeze for a week and have a few more days to go of the most horrible cold.

Add to this temperature a breeze and you have wind chill of 20 to 30 below zero.

Even though there is snow, no one is taking advantage of having a snowmobile because it is too cold. The only people who are ice fishing are those with ice shacks they can heat. Mother Nature, a little mercy, please.

Fuss and Bother

2009-01-04T15:14:00.000-08:00

I put away my Christmas stuff a few days ago. The only things I have left are for the whole of the winter season. We had a new print framed, called "Sleigh Bells Too" by Bill Breedon. I have liked it for a long time, so it is a gift to Dick and myself.

We have had an appliance adventure here for the last two weeks. It all started on December 19, when I tried to leave for work. Our garage door was broken and my truck was inside. Dick took me to work and began figuring out what would need to be done. To replace the main springs that pull up the door it has taken: at least 10 phone calls to PDQ Door in Bangor and a service technician in Calais, one shipment of replacement springs (which turned out to be the wrong size, even though custom-made) one 4 hour work session with the technician(only to find out that the springs were wrong), one trip to Bangor to drop off the wrong springs and return later that day to pick up the new correctly custom-made springs, one more two and a half hour work session with the technician to put in the correct springs and payment for the springs and each visit by the technician. Over the two week period my vehicle had to be moved in and out of the garage to keep the driveway clearer when snow came, so there was less to clear snow around. Due to moving the door when broken, Dick now has to make some adjustment to the door motor, or replace that.

Two days after the garage door broke, my washing machine broke. It was full of towels and water. No spin cycle and no draining. I had to take care of that by hand baling and rinsing and wringing the towels. Fun. The next day Dick went to Machais and bought a new washer. After Christmas we decided to buy a new dryer too, since the dryer had been fixed once and we couldn't remember how old it was. We have never had a matching set until now, after 28 years. A nice working washer and dryer are not to be taken for granted.

A Few Little Projects

2009-01-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

I have enjoyed my vacation and relaxed enough to do a few little projects. I made Mom a couple embroidered handles on kitchen towels, but I didn't take any pictures. Mom hangs her towels from a drawer handle near her sink, so the towel hangs differently than another project I have done with towels. I adopted this project from a friend at work and made a few for family last Thanksgiving (yes, 2007). The problem I have found with this is that the "dress" hangs so low you have to bend over to dry your hands if you hang it from your oven door. So I moved on to other items. One I liked making because it gave me a chance to learn a few new feet or attachments on my sewing machine was an embellished bag. I have to sew the button on and open the button hole. This project required a special bobbin case so that the thick metallic thread could be used. The bag is a little overdone, but I learned from the process of making it.
A niece's daughter has dolls that need to be clothed, so I have had fun helping with that. I am working on a few things at present, because there is a birthday coming up in a few months. My doll, Shelby, doesn't mind being a stand-in for fittings for the American Girls. I needed Shelby because I am always altering patterns to make something different, so she's my model.
I have a few other types of things in various stages, waiting for the mood to strike.

I'm Sadly Lacking and I Know it!

2008-12-30T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have been a Blog skipper. A Blog no-show. A Blog-awol-er.

Over a month ago I was told what a slacker I was, I admitted guilt, and promised to do better. Then life happened. Without going into all the in-between, I can cover some of the stuff. Not only did we get a frost, we had snow. Several times. And some right now. More to come.

Related to that, please note above is Dick's latest toy. He says it is his Christmas present, but it was really a necessity. He doesn't like being out in the worst of the storms trying to move snow on his tractor. It has no cab and he gets a little cold. The advantage with the plow is obvious. However, none of that equipment displaces the shovel for steps.

What a hard working crew!

There are also new family members to introduce. The first one lives in Bangor and is a cousin to Sienna. His name is Dunkin Gus Brown.

Another new member is Cooper Greene and he lives in Scarborough. He has had an exciting week with all kinds of company. I expect to hear middle name anytime- update folks, Cooper will be the middle name and Mini is the first name.

I received a new toy for Christmas too. I have not tried it yet because I did some cooking before Christmas, but it will lighten up a lot of work in the future.

There Could be a Frost Any Day

2008-10-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Afternoons are still very nice, so I try to take a little walk outside after I get home from work. Molly likes to come out with me. It was nice Saturday and Sunday too. We cleared all the wilted vines off the garden last weekend, so it is ready for when we get some manure. We haven't put any in the soil for about 5 years, and the people we bought from last time don't have cows any more. We have friends with horses, so we are going to try horse poop! It works for their garden, so we will see.

Our other four-legged friends have been around. They have inspected every bit of what is left in the garden (only carrots) and ate the tops of some of the carrots.

There are five of these visitors. One Mom has two little ones and another only one. We have watched all five together and the babies play and chase each other.

Last Friday at work a bomb threat was found on a wall in a bathroom, so the building had to be evacuated and all the students taken in groups by grade to five different sites. A few teachers escorted each group and everyone stayed there for the day. Quite a few were picked up by parents and those that were left were not happy campers. It was a long day. This week has been quiet so far.

Goldfinch Feast

2008-09-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

I was so glad that I was home, having my morning tea at the kitchen table when this goldfinch came along for his breakfast. I was hoping to catch him one day, because I could tell that he had been around picking the seeds out of the sunflowers. I had to take the photo through the window, so it is a little fuzzy, but there he is on top of the biggest flower. He was reaching down and having a great breakfast. Next, along came a hummingbird, and he is even harder to catch. He is in the bigger photo, but in this blog photo he is hard to see, on the right side, just before the sunflower, almost in a c shape againt the background of the grass.

I am enjoying some other end-of- summer blossoms. There is some lupine that has just gotten big enough to bloom, and roses again. I know that when what we call Brown-eyed Susans appear there is not much left to blossom. At that point in the year I begin to make plans for next year. "Let me think, next year I will try to move that plant over there, and I want a new plant here".. and on and on. The planning ahead begins so I can look forward to next year!

Another year has Begun

2008-09-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

School opened on August 25 with workshop and all students began on the 27th. I have been a little busy since then, but it has been the normal begin-the-year stuff. After I took out many,many old books in the library, I have been adding in the new ones. I am not on many committees this year, since our accreditation study and visit are done. The school staff finds out the results of that later in the fall. Several extra things (yearbook, newspaper) I used to do I have passed on to newer younger members of staff, and I am not union president this year. In other words, I am beginning to have a life during work season.
My daughter was home this past weekend, and her boyfriend too. It was so good to see them and have them here. Molly loved it, she had someone else to sleep with and watch over. Keely baked a bunch of cookies to take back to school. She also called her Dad today to find out how he makes his oyster stew. I think she misses our home cooking. I have baked more recently for my in-laws. Neither is very health or can move around a kitchen much, so they like cookies and quick breads and some meals we take to them.
A flock of Canada geese have decided to take up residence on the high school soccer field. They are beautiful and fun to watch, but I don't envy the kids playing soccer and sliding around in their doo.

Summer Vacation Coming to a Close

2008-08-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

We have been busy with appointments and day trips. In the meantime, it has been raining constantly, so there has not been much activity outside. We have to catch sunny weather when we can to mow the lawn or do the weeding. The flower garden hasn't cared and there are new blooms, so it looks nice, but some of them are end-of-season blooms. That means that work is in sight. Molly and I had a surprise the other day. A dog that we have never seen before came for a visit. Molly chased it off and it just about wore her out. She hasn't done that much running for quite a while. Her hips have been worse lately and I gave her a Tylenol that night. Now she thinks she needs to do guard duty on the deck to keep bad pooches away.

A few minutes of this and she is ready to come in. She's a lovely girl.

My husband left for Virginia today. He is going with a friend to pick up a truckload of computers for the local schools. The computers are donated and our students rebuild them in vocational class. Then the schools either use them or sell them.

The deer are constant visitors. We have left the fence up on the garden and a neighbor told us he saw a deer standing by the fence looking in at the garden. Must have been during a moment of wishful thinking. I usually see them in the field and noticed there are two Bambis with Mom. I haven't been able to get two babies in one photo yet. they won't stop runing and playing and hold still for a picture. Baby one is a little tan speck to the left.

Horses are There Too!

2008-08-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

Since the last post I have made another visit to the farm. It was a day when my daughter would be working, and lots of family was going to be around. First, I took my Mom so she could see where my daughter works. She liked the ponies and I think everyone else did also. Six other family members visited at the farm shortly after us, and were given a tour by my daughter. The ponies were a favorite, but there are lots of other horses.
They all get lots of care and attention. 20 horses take a lot of work. All of the horses are beautiful. However, the ponies, being front and center, are noticed and appreciated by everyone, and probably get more than their share of luv.

2008-07-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

During our visit to see our daughter, we visited the farm where she works. There are about 30 cows there and several calves.

We watched as the milk cows came in from outside at milking time and knowing nothing about cows, were amazed that each cow knows which stall is hers. Sure enough, they walk in and go to their own milking stall, except for one. I guess it's like every group - there's one in every crowd.

Boss Cow, "Come on! It''s time for milking. Open the gate!"
Going to my stall, going to my stall....
Wish she would move her butt and go to her own stall.

So glad it's milking time!

They also have horses at the farm. I'm saving them for another post.

I do Have a Job

2008-07-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Like most people in the world, unfortunately, I have to work. I do have a job. I am a librarian and in my library new carpet was installed this summer. That is good, but the bad part is that every single item in the library had to be removed to do it. That means 10,000 books, 8 large tables, a laptop computer charging cart with 15 laptops, 11 desktop PCs, 36 chairs, 2 circulation desks, 1 display unit, 1 magazine rack, 23 bookcases, 3 TVs/DVD and carts and I am sure I left out a few items. I did have help removing it all. Now, if you know anything about library work, you know it means I am spending some time putting everything back, now that the carpet is in, and in spite of a system to remove things in order, I will be a while getting it all in the right place again. I couldn't have done this without my husband's help. We have been working at it for a week, and have more to do. At least it has been raining all week (much needed) and I am not missing being outside.

Molly has had Quite a Day

2008-07-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

Molly started the day with a bang, or a bark I should say. I let her out first thing and didn't notice the deer in the field. Molly started up the hill barking after the deer and I called her back. She was so excited about the deer she didn't even notice the huge truck unloading mulch. How she missed a dump truck by the garden I will never guess. Later Molly and I went out to weed the garden. I weeded and Molly ate strawberries. Later, I picked peas. While I shucked the peas my trusty helper assisted by keeping the floor clean. Any peas that popped beyond the bowl and rolled to the floor, she chased and ate.

That's the Molly nose on the left edge.

Later still, we went to visit Grammy. Molly decided it was necessary to "do her duty" in Grammy's yard, and then proceeded to eat strawberries from her patch. I do tease my daughter sometimes, but I hate it when my other "child" embarrasses me in front of my Mom.

Busy Bees

2008-07-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

We finally got some rain! Once the sun came out it was back to work. The bees have been going strong and I couldn't help bothering a few (carefully) as I weeded. They were the busiest on the thyme, two or three in close range. The day before the rain my husband and I took a road trip. We stopped every now and then, for lunch, to stretch. We wanted to see the new bridge over the Penobscot and it is impressive. He drove over 230 miles that day and it was, as you can see, a beautiful day.
Another purpose for this blog was sewing projects. Most sewing is on hold because of the nice weather, but mainly because I have sent the machine in for service. Nothing was broken or even malfunctioning, but it was time for a service check. That means four to six weeks without the sewing machine. What else will I do in the meantime?

Time to Pull out all the Stops

2008-07-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

Every night more disappears from the vegetable garden. The deer even pulled three tomato plants out of the ground in their eagerness to chew up those tender leaves. More tomatoes, more beans. So, I brought out the fencing, put up a roll around two sides and waited a night to see what would happen. It spooked them off the tomatoes, but more beans, and even the tops of the carrots were eaten. I enlisted my husband's help to the cause, and he helped me put more fence around the rest of it. Now my garden is surrounded by orange snow fence.

We celebrated with our daughter on her birthday -- she turned 22! We went to dinner with her at a place where the wait staff sings when they bring out a birthday cake. It is simple to alert staff on the way to the RR so there is a surprise for the honoree! Nothing like being embarrassed by your parents in public on your birthday.

We are moving into our second week without much rain, so I am facing having to water the flower garden if there is no rain soon. For now I have a few new features.

Bambi and Mom

2008-07-14T04:30:00.000-07:00

The deer have been visiting the vegetable garden for the past few nights. They have eaten the tops of the tomato plants, stepped on two squash plants and eaten the tops of the beans. The first time deer ate anything in this garden spot was one October two years ago. This must be one of the younger ones from that time, back with her baby. Wish she had waited until September or October to bring Bambi.

We have been watering this garden in the evening for about half an hour because there has been no rain for more than a week. The deer came after several evenings of watering. Before this, they have stayed in the surrounding field. It must have been the nice new juicy bits that were irresistible.

The Strawberry Patch

2008-07-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Any idea what is going on here? This is a strawberry patch. This is Molly in my strawberry patch. Molly thinks that strawberries are better than Purina Lamb and Rice dog biscuits. No kidding. The food stays in the dish until said dog is satisfied that either no strawberries will be available or strawberries are eaten. Thus, no one in my family is enjoying the strawberries from the strawberry patch this year except Molly, unless I get there first. Actually, it is a race to see who gets the berries first. This was a new section I added last year and I was surprised at how well it produced. This year, well, ..... you see.

Changing Blooms

2008-07-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

I have been investigating social bookmarking this week for class and have a couple likely sites to join. One is for librarians, and provides feedback on books and reviews. Should be good.
On the holiday, we went to see my daughter. Yeah! We visited and went to dinner together, with my sister and her family. It was a fun day.
While I did all that, my garden was changing. It has changed colors in spots as some blooms faded and other plants began their display. I have a few new plants this year so it made the seasonal evolution more interesting. I will include the photos of the new growth for viewing.

My Garden Slide Show

2008-06-28T12:28:00.001-07:00

Photobucket Album

Next detail on the blog

2008-06-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

The next feature I have learned to add is a slide show, so if you click on the above photo of my garden you will be able to see more of it. It has taken me most of today, but it was worth it for me to learn. The easy part was taking the photos, since downloading those to the computer is a snap. I made an account at Photobucket, created an album, and added a link to my blog. While I was there I also added a link to my MySpace page - might as well link my world all together.